Manufacturing Keeps on Truckin' in the Metro

by Tim O’Neill ~

Through 2013, the seven-county Twin Cities metro area had 79,133 establishments supplying 1,618,006 jobs. That’s approximately 60% of total employment in the state in all industries.

The manufacturing industry had 4,105 establishments supplying 162,716 jobs in the Twin Cities, comprising about 53% of the 307,159 manufacturing jobs within the state. The average annual wage for the manufacturing industry sector equaled $69,680 in 2013, 17% higher than the industry’s average annual wage for the state as a whole ($59,540).

With 34,675 jobs, computer and electronic product manufacturing makes up the largest sub-sector within the manufacturing industry in the Twin Cities. It also happens to have among the highest annual wage, at $95,628.

Miscellaneous manufacturing, which most notably includes medical equipment and supplies, accounts for 10.6% of total manufacturing jobs, with 578 establishments supplying 17,222 jobs.

In addition, machinery manufacturing accounts for just over one-tenth of all manufacturing jobs in the metro, with 390 establishments supplying 17,025 jobs; and printing and related support activities and food manufacturing account for 9% and 7% of jobs, employing 14,418 and 11,553 workers, respectively. (See Table 1.)

Within the Twin Cities Metro Area, manufacturing has shown modest growth since the low point of the recession, adding 6,146 jobs from 2010 to 2013, for a 3.9% increase. In comparison, total employment increased by 5.3%, adding 80,954 jobs.

While the total of all manufacturing jobs has witnessed modest growth since 2010, certain manufacturing sub-sectors have done very well. For example, fabricated metal product manufacturing added 2,222 jobs between 2010 and 2013, growing by 10.4%.

Other sub-sectors adding a large number of jobs include food manufacturing (1,455 jobs), machinery manufacturing (1,402 jobs), and electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing, which grew by 18.3%, adding 707 jobs.